Needle-case.



, PA'rmTED'DE-G. $22., 1903.

J: H.' BOYE. NBEDLBUASR APPLICATION FILFA) JULY'VM, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented December 22', 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES H. BOYE, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

NEEDLE-CASE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 747,368, dated December 22,1903. I

Application filed J'uly 14:, 1903. Serial No. 165,449. (No model.) i

of Minnesota, have invented certain new and usefuly Improvements in Needle-Cases; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable `others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide an improved needle-case and index therefor; and to this end it consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described, and defined in the claims.

It is a fact well known by those familiar with the subject that there are on the market machines sold under about one hundred and fifty different names. A great many of these sewing-machines use the same kind of needle. In fact, about twelve different makes of needles supply the larger number of the sewingmachines on the market. i In accordance with my invention I have provided an index by means of which the make of needle used by any sewing-machine on the list may be quickly determined, and I furtherprovide a case for holding needlecontaining tubes or boxes,in which such tubesl are so arranged and'which tubes are so marked that the required make of needle may be quickly found.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Figure l is a plan view showing the com'- plete needle case with the cover thereof Y turned open, so as to expose to view the index-card and the needle-containing tubes. Fig. 2 is a section on the line m2 :r2 of Fig. l with some parts broken away and with some parts removed, showing the lid of the box closed; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one ofthe needle-containing tubes or boxes.

In the preferred form of the device the body of the case is rectangular in form and consists of a box 1, a hinged cover 2, and a horizontal partition 3, which partition is secured to the box 1 and is provided with a series of.

perforations 4. The needlesl(not shown) are contained in tubular boxes 5, made of telescoping sections. These tubular boxes 5 loosely fit in the perforations 4 of the partition 3, as shown in the drawings. The boxes standing in a given row extending from front to rear of the box contain sets ofthe same make of needles, and that the observer may vquickly distinguish one series from the other the tops of the boxes 5 of a given row from front to rear of the case are marked with the same color and the tops of the boxes of the several series are marked with'diferentcolors. For instance, in the illustration given the tops ofthe rows of boxes from the right toward the left ,are conventionally indicated as colored, respectively, green, blue, red, and

yellow. Furthermore, in the illustration given the color green indicates the American needle, the color blue indicates the Domestic needle, the color redindicates the Davis needle, and the color yellow indicates the Eldridge needle.

The index is preferably marked or pasted on the inside of the hinged cover 2, the same being partially shown in Fig. 1. In this index at the left are indicated the names of various sewing-machines, and at the right, in a line therewith, are indicated the names of the various makes of needles used by the respective machine. In line with the name of each machine is a colored blot or mark, the color of which corresponds with the color found on the top of the boxescontaining'the make of needle used by the respective machines. These colored blots or marks are indicated at the extreme left in the index. On the index, in line with each make of machine, indicated at the left, is marked a numeral or other character which indicates the row in which the Vparticular make of needle used by the particular machine may be found. These numerals are marked on the partition-board 3 in line with the rows of perforations 4, which should contain the needle-boxes holding needles of a particular make.

The manner of using the index and the case is substantially as follows: Suppose there is wanted needles for the Ajax machine, for instance. On the index, in line with the word Ajax, there is found a red blot or mark indicating that the proper make of nee-l IOO boxes. quickly pick out the proper needle-box without close observation or any calculation.

Should any of the needle-boxes,or all thereof, for that matter, be misplaced or removed from the case, their proper location in the case may be very quickly determined by referring to the index. For instance, we find on the index that the red-topped boxes, which contain Davis needles, belong in row No. 3. Of course instead of numerals to indicate the different rows other notations, such as letters, might be employed, although the numerals are preferred. Of course in practice the case would contain a larger number of needle-boxes than is illustrated, and the index would be correspondingly extended.

The coloring of the tops of the boxes or other exposed portions thereof and the arrangement of colored marks on the index greatly facilitate rapid work in picking out needles or needle-boxes of the desired make.

Whatk I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States of America, is as follows:

1. A needle-case comprising a box, a plurality of rows of needle-containing boxes detachably held thereby, the boxes in dierent rows being marked with different colors, so as to indicate at a glance when they are properly assembled, and an index marked with the These colors enable a person to very names of dilerent sewing-machines and in line therewith with numerals or similar notations, the said su pporting-box being marked in line with each row of needle-containing boxes with numerals or notations corresponding with the notations of the index and serving to indicate the rows in which the needles of dilerent character may be found.

2. A needle-case comprising a box, a plurality of rows of needle-containing boxes detachably held thereby, and an index, said index being marked with names of different sewing-machines, and in line therewith with colored blots and with numerals, or similar notations, the rows of needle-boxes containing needles of the proper make to be used by the various sewing-machines being marked with colors corresponding to the c'olored blots found in line with the names of such machines, and the said box being marked with numerals to'correspond with the numerals found in line with the various names marked in the index, and serving to indicate the rows in which the different boxes belong, substantially as described.

In testimony whereotl I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

- JAMES H. BOYE. Witnesses:

ELIZABETH H. KELIHER, F. D. MERCHANT. 

